Step Up/Down Transformers - Good or Bad?

It is an improvement rather than a problem from an incoming power quality perspective, as long as it is not undersized. Some of the audio power conditioners sold for significant $'s are not much more than a 1-1 transformer in a fancy enclosure (fwiw, installing a regulating transformer in front of sensitive electronic equipment is common practice in industry). Sola, and others, make a good regulating transformer at a reasonable price if you wish to get fancy. The 240v line solution works, but kids tend to stick things in outlets at some point in their life & the penalty for doing this can be much higher. Good luck!

Gregadd - I think your buddy would tell you that twice the volts gets you twice the amps, when other factors are equal.
He is right though when conditions are right it doesn't take high voltage to drive enough current to hurt or kill.

Glrtrgi - I really don't have issue with 240v lines, and as noted above you are going to have a 240v outlet somewhere unless you wire directly from tranny, just think it is good to be aware of the potential hazards.

Albertporter - "unless your kids are especially gifted at getting things into sockets they are likely to get 120 (one leg)." The lucky kid goes 120-ground, the unlucky goes +120 -120, just touching 120 is usually free unless you are in contact with a grounded surface. Not sure why one would be more likely than another.
The better sound opinion is interesting (why , in what way, how determined?) if you are in the mood to elaborate.

Happy listening

Detlof - Thanks for the feedback, am trying to understand. I assume you are specifically refering to power transformers and not transformers in the audio signal path?

Me - "twice the volts gets you twice the amps". In context of electrocution hazard.
Ngjockey - "BTW,twice the volts is half the amps". In context of transformer characteristics.

Alberporter & Detlof - Thanks for the feedback. 'Damage dynamics' gives me a bit more to think about.

Regards

Hmm.
1. We all like specific types of disortion in our audio. My personal favorite is the high magnitude even order harmonic distortion that you get with vaccum tubes.
2. It seems reasonably well established that distortion in the upper frequency range can make music sound more dynamic. For example Vandersteen goes to the expense of installing back firing tweeters on their 5a's because some listeners/systems benefit from the timing and frequency distortion inherent to bouncing tweeters off of back walls & etc.
3. If a person is basically happy with their system & then they insert a device that tends to eliminate higher frequency distortion would this most likely be percieved as a loss of dynamics?

Gregadd - "tube designs can sound quite neutral." Agreed, but would they still sound neutral without signal distortion? I think that the electrical distortion which creates the illusion of natural acoustic distortion, or tends to fill in the signal loss inherent to recording & playback, is part of what we like about our systems.

Gregadd - I'm giving up at this point. Regards.